A Brief History of the SAILS
SAIL (South Austin Inner Lights) is the Pathfinder Club of the Austin South Seventh-day Adventist Church. With a charter membership of 16 Pathfinders and 10 staff, the SAIL Pathfinder Club began meeting in September 2009, and held our first official Induction Ceremony for new members in October the same year.
Prior to the SAILs, Austin South youth and staff were part of the greater Austin area Austin Knights, sponsored by the Austin First Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Knights were earlier called the Austin Avalanche. In the past, Austin South also had a very active Pathfinder Club, called the Explorers. The current club name, South Austin Inner Lights (SAIL), was chosen by the Pathfinders in September 2009. It reflects both the spirit of adventure (in the acronym SAIL) and the role we have as God's children to share our inner light. Our club logo includes text Matthew 5:14-16. SAIL Pathfinders have been active in service and community projects, including the Lake Travis Underwater Cleanup, assisting in the aftermath of the 2011 Bastrop fires, packing emergency care packages, helping with the local Food Pantry, and participating in a march to encourage youth to avoid drugs, alcohol and gang membership. The SAIL Pathfinders have learned and practiced First Aid and basic rescue techniques, learned about our local flora and fauna, as well as more exotic wildlife, and joined in regional Bible Bowls, field days, and a pinewood derby. We have camped, hiked, backpacked and climbed in area parks including Pedernales and Enchanted Rock, and taken weekend trips to other cities including San Antonio and Houston. As we continue to grow, we are looking forward to the opportunity to take a more active role in Austin and Central Texas, to explore our region and state, and to enjoy learning together as we embark on new adventures. |
Pathfinders: 60 Years and Still Going Strong
2010 marked 60 years since the formation of the worldwide Pathfinder Club. Growing out of the Missionary Volunteer (MV) and Junior Missionary Volunteer (JMV) Societies of the first decade of the 1900s, the program we know today as the Pathfinder Club developed slowly.
In 1922, the first two progressive classes, Friend and Companion, were introduced to the JMV societies, followed five years later by the Master Guide curriculum (then known as Master Comrade). In addition to the MV and JMV societies and the progressive classes, the Seventh-day Adventist Church began to host summer camps in the latter half of the 1920s, with the name “Pathfinder” attached to one camp in California in 1929. In 1932, the first JMV Pathfinder Camp was established in Idyllwild, California, and in 1946 the first conference-sponsored Pathfinder Club was founded in Riverside, California, to carry on the activities and youth involvement of the summer camps year-round. That same year, John H. Hancock (later World Pathfinder Director) designed the Pathfinder emblem, the shield and sword surrounded by a triangle, and two years later Helen Hobbs made the first Pathfinder flag. In 1949, Henry Bergh wrote the Pathfinder Song - “Oh We Are The Pathfinders Strong.” Then, in July 1950, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists approved and encouraged the formation of Pathfinder Clubs as a worldwide mission for youth. A PDF copy of The Pathfinder Story can be dowloaded from the General Conference website by clicking here. |